EYE OF THE STORM
by EusYram
Summary: What happens to Bernard after he wakes up in the washing machine in Megamind's lair? What takes place in the time period between MEGAMIND and BUTTON OF DOOM, and why isn't Roxanne at the yard sale? Find out from the POV of a tiny blonde new to Metro City!
1. RUDE AWAKENING

_**Rude Awakening**_

It looked like the kind of night that no girl should have been out alone, yet there she was. It must have been three or four o'clock in the morning, which was dangerous enough on its own, but the state of ruin that the city found itself in made matters even worse. Several buildings have collapsed to the ground, others looked like they were about to, and firefighters were still busy putting out "Tightenville" in the downtown area after the second "i" had sparked a very serious fire. Nevertheless, Chloe felt quite confident out here, alone, with nothing but Metro Man's crumbled statue to keep her company.

Today had been a very interesting day. The night before, the super-powered maniac Tighten (_What a completely nonsensical name to choose for oneself_, Chloe thought) had flown amok through the city and was entirely responsible for leaving it this way. With their beloved hero, Metro Man, dead, hope was nowhere to be found among the citizens, but with the new day came a most unexpected turn of events: the man previously known as a despicable genius of evil unparalleled… actually came to the rescue… and won. Citizens didn't hesitate for a moment before accepting Megamind as their new hero, and the news of Tighten's defeat traveled like wildfire to the suburbs and anywhere else that people have fled to.

Chloe herself had no need to seek refuge during Tighten's rampage, as her tiny apartment was in that area of the city that was far too removed from downtown for the young and successful and their flourishing social lives, and yet far too cluttered with run-down apartment buildings, garages, and cheap foreign fast-food restaurants for any respectable family to settle down in either. Once the initial reports started coming in about Tighten's defeat and Megamind's supposed turn to the "light side," Chloe was skeptical, but like most every other citizen of Metro City, she made the trip downtown in time to join the loud, overjoyed procession that followed the police car delivering Tighten to Metro City Prison for the Criminally Gifted. She envied the reporters flooding the streets, interviewing eyewitnesses, policemen, and trying with no success to track down Megamind, Roxanne Ritchi, and the suited-up fish, Minion. They, to everyone's disappointment, were a no-show. The celebrations throughout the streets continued all through the morning, the day, the evening, and late into the night, and it was only now that Chloe was finally, completely_,_ alone.

The reason for her being here, on a basic level, was to simply relax and think. She had only lived in this city for a month, _one month_, yet it had proven to be the most absolutely unbelievably ridiculous month of her life. First there was the job hunt and moving into her new apartment, then Megamind's takeover, and then Tighten; but _finally_ it seemed like things were going to get back to normal… except, of course, for the job part, because it was kind of hard to work in a building that has been leveled to its concrete foundations. Yes, she had gotten a job at the Metro Man museum one week prior to the grand opening, but, due first to the construction being done there, then to Megamind running the city, and then finally to the museum being destroyed altogether, she had not been called in for a single work shift. Thank goodness for paying rent in advance.

Her only connection to her career remained through the cell phone number of her superior, the museum curator, one Bernard Nadler. Sadly, every single one of her attempts to contact him following the destruction of the museum proved futile, except for the one time a male voice answered with a breathless, "Roxanne?" before frantically hanging up as she began to contest his question. So, as far as Chloe knew, Bernard could very well have been dead.

Chloe had been sitting on a piece of Metro Man wreckage, maybe the tip of one of his fingers or something similarly rounded, with her elbows on her knees, and her chin in her hands, looking out over the empty square before her, basking in the complete silence. She had long since lost track of time as she wondered whether she should try to make it home or stay here until the fast-approaching morning and see if perhaps Bernard or somebody else who worked at the museum would arrive.

She nearly dozed off before footfalls suddenly brought her back to reality. She whipped her head around, nearly knocking the glasses off of her nose, and listened. Yes, there were definitely footsteps coming from the other side of the rubble behind her, three distinct sets: two light, and one much heavier. Curiosity being one of her more distinguished vices, she couldn't resist the urge to get up and investigate. She slunk along giant chunks of dusty concrete, making sure to stay out of sight of the strangers, until she was about as close as she could get to them without being seen. She could not see who the people were, but she was near enough now to clearly make out what they were saying.

"Be _careful_, Minion," said a female voice. "That is _not _a bag of potatoes you're carrying."

"I'm sorry, Miss Ritchi," replied a male voice in a hushed whisper, "but I'm honestly trying to be as careful as I can."

"Be quiet, you two," snapped a deeper male voice. "If somebody sees us… let's just say it would _not _help this new hero image of mine."

Chloe had to repress a gasp as she realized just who exactly she was spying on. "Minion" and "Miss Ritchi" were a dead give-away, and she could certainly guess whom the third voice belonged to… Megamind.

"Okay, here is good," said Megamind, and the shuffling footsteps came to a halt.

"Put him down _carefu_-" began Roxanne, but was interrupted by a rather sickening thud of skull against pavement. "_MINION!_" she exclaimed deafeningly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Miss Ritchi, but he's slippery as an eel!" cried out the fish defensively.

"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you, Minion," Megamind said casually. "He's supposed to believe that he just survived a _deadly _explosion. A few scrapes and bruises here and there won't hurt a thing."

"Oh, _yes_, I'm _sure _he'll believe that he just survived an explosion that happened _two weeks ago_," Roxanne said, her voice thick with sarcasm.

"I'm glad you're actually with me on this, Roxanne," Megamind replied, clearly not catching on to her mockery. Roxanne gave an exasperated sigh, while Megamind continued. "Well, it looks like we're done here, so let's skedaddle before somebody sees us."

"Hey, wait. Aren't you forgetting something?" Roxanne asked.

"Uhhhh… no?"

"I think you are."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"How about… his cell phone?"

"What about it?"

'You have to give it back."

"_What? _No way - I _need _this device! How else will I talk to you and arrange to see you? Roxanne, you can'task me of this."

"Megamind.…" Roxanne began, her voice suddenly tender, but she quickly caught herself and replied like a parent trying to reason with a protesting child, "… I'll get you a new one."

"Go on…."

"… And it'll have spikes on it."

"You've got yourself a deal! There, it's in his pocket. Can we go home now?"

"I'm going back to my apartment, but I will stop by tomorrow for dinner and to drop off your new phone… but only if Minion is cooking," Roxanne replied, sounding a little more lighthearted.

"I am now!" Minion piped in cheerfully.

"Good night, then, boys!" Roxanne called out, and her footsteps echoed away into the night.

"Let's go, Minion," came the sound of Megamind's voice. "There's one thing that I absolutely _cannot wait _to do once we get back to No-Longer-Evil Lair."

"What's that, sir?"

"_Sleep_."

As Megamind and Minion's footfalls slowly faded out of Chloe's earshot, she decided to finally brave exposing herself. She crept around what appeared to be Metro Man's gigantic nose until she could vaguely make out a dark shape lying on the pavement a few feet in front of her. She nearly did a double take as she realized who it was.

"_Bernard_," she hissed to herself in shock. Quite genuinely fearing for his well-being, she ran out from behind the nose and dropped to her knees beside him. Her fear proved to not have been in vain, as there was a pretty serious bump on the side of his forehead, spotted with little droplets of accumulating blood.

"Bernard… hey, Bernard!" Chloe called out to him, trying to shake him awake. She gave him a few slaps on the face and tried to pry his eyes open until eventually Bernard began to stir, and then all of a sudden came to. With a shocked yell, he pushed his assaulter as far away from himself as possible, then scooted away from her until his back met a piece of concrete wall. He stared at her - the girl trying desperately to keep herself from toppling over in front of him - and examined her as he tried to catch his breath. He could tell that she was on the shorter side, shorter than him at least, not particularly fit, and with long bronze-colored hair worn in a braid down her back. She wore white capri pants, a checkered black, grey, and white button-down shirt, and black flat-bottomed dress shoes. The first thing Bernard noticed, however, were the gold-rimmed round glasses framing her silver eyes, and the first thought to cross his mind was _Round? How tasteless. _Not only did he not approve of her glasses, but neither did he appreciate her style (or, as was his opinion, lack thereof), nor the way she wore her hair, and especially not the fact that she was clearly doing something highly inappropriate to him moments earlier. Quite simply put, if Bernard had to choose one redeeming quality about her, his response would have been, "The possibility of her being elsewhere."

"Who are you?" he asked after finally restoring his breathing to a manageable pace.

Chloe blinked at him, not quite understanding. "It's me - Chloe."

"Chloe…?"

"Chloe Henderson."

"Claire Anderson?"

"_Chloe. Rose. Henderson. _You hired me as your assistant a month ago, remember?"

"I did? That's nice. Where am I?"

"We are outside of the Metro Man museum. It's alright."

"We're…" Bernard mumbled, looking around, "… we're… _what?_ This looks like ground zero!"

"Yes, I suppose the museum blowing up would create that impre-"

"_Blowing up? _The museum was _blown up?_"

"Yes… how do you not know this…?"

"Oh, God, oh, _God _- I must've survived the blast, right? I _am_ alive, _right?_"

"Of course you are!" Chloe exclaimed. "The explosion happened _two weeks _ago_._"

"Am I hurt? _AM I HURT!_" Bernard cried out, completely ignoring her. He was panicking now, groping his limbs in search of possible injury, his breathing fast and shallow, until finally one of his wildly-flailing hands landed on his forehead. His eyes grew wide, and he quickly withdrew his hand and looked at the blood on his palm. "AAAAAAAAUUUUGH! I AM BADLY AND DANGEROUSLY HURT!"

"Bernard…" Chloe tried again, "… Bernard, look at me." She grabbed a hold of his shaking wrists (_Ugh, Minion __was__ right! He __was____slippery… soaked to the bone, actually… and was he covered in… soap…?_) "You are going to be okay. It's only a scrape."

"You don't know that!" Bernard protested, on the verge of hyperventilation. "I could have internal bleeding for all you know! You have to take me to the hospital!"

"That's… probably not the most intelligent thing to do at the moment, considering what the city's been through today. How about I just take you home? I'm sure that after a good sleep, things will make a lot more sense-"

"NO - I _demand _to be taken to the hospital. As my assistant, it is _your _job-"

"Wait. Are you saying I'm getting paid for this?"

"… Sure?"

"Then you are badly and dangerously hurt and we should get you to a hospital as soon as possible," Chloe replied, trying not to smile.


	2. DENIAL

_**DENIAL**_

Over the past month, Chloe had forgotten just how_ obnoxious _Bernard had been when she first met him, but it was all coming back to her now.

* * *

"I see you have received a degree in Journalism at the University of Michigan…." Bernard said in his usual uninterested monotone as he gazed absent-mindedly at her resume.

"Yes," Chloe said enthusiastically, edging forward in her chair, "I was one of the top in my program." She usually was not one to boast, but extreme circumstances called for extreme measures. This interview was her last resort and final hope of doing something even remotely in her field, and she already had a stack of resumes prepped and ready to be distributed to bars and restaurants around the city if something did not go right. Indeed, she was going all out in trying to impress. She wore a light yellow dress with big black buttons down the front, black stockings, and shiny gold dress shoes, and her hair fell down her back and about her shoulders in soft waves. She even put on blue eye shadow hoping it would make the silver of her irises stand out. Yet, judging by Bernard's lack of reaction to anything she had said or done, she might as well have worn a burlap sack without it making the slightest difference.

"So, I'm assuming you want to be a journalist…?" Bernard asked, sitting back in his chair, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and finally looking Chloe straight in the face.

Chloe smiled. Bernard had just set her up to tell him about her ambitions, something she had been hoping to do ever since she walked through the door of his office. This would for sure show him how full of heart and personality she was, making her a prime candidate for employment… or so she thought. "It's my dream," she replied with a beaming smile, "and it's the very reason I moved to Metro City. I could just imagine myself… out on the streets… doing interviews and collecting stories about Metro Man and Megamind… then putting them together into controversial articles for the Metro City Telegra-"

Bernard sighed so loudly that Chloe's hair was blown back by the force of his exhaled breath. "I'm going to have to stop you right there," he said, emotionless as ever. "If your dream is to become a _journalist_, then why are you being interviewed for the position of assistant to the curator of the Metro Man museum?"

In her enthusiasm and fruitless attempts to impress, Chloe had completely overlooked the possibility of him asking that question. Since "last resort" was a completely inappropriate answer, she panicked. "Well.… This museum…. So much background…! Getting to know the city? Books. Writing! Reading? I… like… that…?"

"Listen, Claire."

"Chloe."

"… That's what I said. Listen, Claire. I don't want to hire you..."

"Oh," Chloe said simply, and somewhere in her head echoed the sound of hope being shattered.

"… but I had many, _many _people come in for an interview over the past week and I have offered the job to quite a few of them, yet… even though they seemed very interested to work for me at the beginning, following the interview not a single person wished to accept my offer. Some even hung up the phone on me…"

"I can't imagine why…." Chloe mumbled to herself bitterly.

"… so, I guess the point I am trying to make here is that you are now my last resort, which is why I _will _hire you. Congratulations."

"Oh," Chloe repeated blankly, her eyebrows knitting together as she wondered whether she should feel joyous or insulted. Her eyes narrowed as the emotion veered closer to insult. "I see," she said slowly, and then something snapped. "You know, Mr. Nadler, my experiences in this city have turned out _nothing _like what I imagined. I didn't get my dream job, _nor _my dream apartment, _nor_ the adventure I have dreamed of. Instead, I got treated like dirt, was belittled, and was slapped in the face over and over with the realization of how worthless I apparently am; and, quite frankly, I am getting _sick and tired _of it!" Before she knew it, she was standing up, leaning over Bernard's desk, and wagging a disapproving finger at him. In the meantime, Bernard had pushed himself as far back into his chair as possible, trying to create as much distance as he could between himself and the crazy lady, and for good reason. The volume of her voice had risen to a concerning level, and it was clear that she had a lot of pent-up anger that needed to be released. "SO LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, _BERNARD _- I would rather work _as a waitress _and be _appreciated _than take this job because _nobody else would._"

There was a silence. Chloe suddenly felt very awkward, as she wasn't exactly the confrontational type either. Bernard swallowed nervously, frozen in his seat. A few more seconds passed, and with a discouraged sigh Chloe turned to leave.

"Chloe… wait."

Chloe stopped in her tracks. It wasn't because Bernard told her to, but because of the way he said it. His voice was different, quiet, vulnerable almost, and not artificial like it seemed before. She turned around to face him again, but thought it best to remain silent this time. She tapped her fingers on the sides of her hips impatiently, urging him to say whatever it was he had to say.

"_Please_ take the job. The fact that I haven't been able to find an assistant yet… well… it doesn't exactly make me look good in the eyes of _my _boss. Not only that… it's… hurtful."

"Mr. Nadler, I want this job… a lot… but I need to know that I am getting it not because you cannot find anybody else, but because I am qualified."

"… You _are_ qualified."

"Then…." Chloe began, but she could not answer him. She watched him staring at her with those big brown eyes of his, and wondered if there was perhaps more to him than he had let on so far. Yet he was excruciatingly rude to her just moments ago, so who was to say that this kind of treatment would not be what awaited her on a daily basis if she were to say yes? Then again, if she expected to be getting chances in the big city, she probably needed to start giving them out as well. And maybe it was best to take the lead. "Then… when do I start?"

"I must say, you really _are_ desperate, aren't you?" Bernard asked, the look on his face returning to uncaring and the tone of his voice once again expressionless. He pushed himself back towards his desk and slapped her resume down onto it. "Wait for my phone call - oh, and _please _don't call me 'Mr. Nadler.' You are _definitely _too old to be calling me by my last name."

Chloe gaped at him, absolutely speechless. She felt so confused by Bernard's behavior, she could not even feel angered by him anymore. Having decided that she would rather leave him be than try to understand what was going through his incomprehensible head, she replied with a brisk, "I guess I'll be waiting," turned on her heel, and walked out the door.

* * *

"What is the _last _thing you remember before you lost consciousness?" Chloe asked Bernard as they now took a cab to Metro City General Hospital. She had given him a tissue from her purse, which he was holding to his bleeding forehead with a most sorrowful expression on his face. She still could not believe that they managed to successfully call a cab at this hour, since she was sure that nobody was crazy enough to come into work until at least the morning… nobody other than her, that is. In the time that it took for the cab to arrive, Chloe had filled Bernard in on everything that had happened between the time the museum was _really _blown up and the moment Bernard woke up, hurt and disoriented, at the base of its remains. Unsurprisingly, Bernard believed none of it, and, once Chloe had finished her account, all he had to say was, "Megamind the hero? I believe I am not the _only_ one with a head injury here."

Now Bernard looked thoughtful. "I remember a Megamind impostor… wearing _pajamas_," he began, "though of course that had to have been the _real _Megamind… wearing pajamas, because the next minute he went right ahead and blew up my museum! … Ahem. Now, the very _last _thing I remember… was a bright blue light… and then… darkness. Though I do remember _something_ else, very faint - it was probably only a dream - but there was water, and everything smelled of lavender, and I was going round and round and round and round and round -"

"Bernard, I don't think that was a dream. You still smell like lavender… and do you realize how damp you are…?"

"Nonsense, Claire - your deranged mind is simply playing tricks on you."

"It's _Chloe_," she replied with a sigh, just about ready to give up, but then an idea struck her. "Oh, and if you don't believe what I told you, why don't you just ask our driver? Sir," she called out, leaning through the gap between the front seats, "when was the Metro Man museum blown up?"

"Lady, I don't answer dumb questions," said the cab driver, and was silent.

Thinking that the driver's reaction was sufficient in proving her point, Chloe turned back to Bernard. What she didn't realize was that Bernard was thinking the exact same thing, causing them to meet each other's satisfied expressions, while each smugly asked the other one, "See?"

Before either could give a frustrated response, the taxi came to a screeching halt in front of a strip of overturned, charred pavement.

"This is as far as I can go," said the driver.

Chloe paid him and thanked him for his trouble, and she and Bernard got out of the car and onto the street. The hospital was only a couple of blocks away now, and they began making their way towards it. After about five minutes, they had reached its campus, and headed towards the emergency room entrance. Chloe paused at the door long enough to notice that the eastern horizon had begun to grow pink, and she could not help but admire how quiet and peaceful the streets looked in the faint light. Then they entered the building, and chaos ensued.


	3. ACCEPTING THE TRUTH

_**ACCEPTING THE TRUTH**_

Just as Chloe had predicted, the emergency room was packed. People with all kinds of injuries, from burns to cuts to broken bones, filled every chair, every bench, and most of the floor inside the waiting area. There were several charred-looking characters still standing in line at reception as well.

"Well…" said Bernard, looking around contemplatively, '… let's go get me checked in!"

Chloe sighed. She thought that seeing so many people in much greater need of medical assistance would change Bernard's selfish mind, but clearly she was wrong. Trying to avoid eye contact, she led him to stand in line at the reception desk. Five minutes later, they came face-to-face with a big nurse in scrubs, her elbow resting on the desk in front of her, and her tired face cradled in her hand. She looked like she was asleep. Beside her head rested a small buzzer, and Bernard rang it impatiently.

The nurse sighed, opened her blood-shot eyes, and fixed Bernard with a steely stare. "What?" she snapped.

"I am very badly and dangerously injured," Bernard replied quietly, while Chloe rolled her eyes.

"You don't look so bad," the nurse contested.

"Yeah, but look at my forehead!" Bernard cried out, nearly head-butting the nurse as he tried to show her his injury. "Just look at it! I might have a concussion… or eternal bleeding!"

"It's _in_ternal bleeding, and what exactly happened?"

"I barely survived the explosion of the Metro Man museum!"

The nurse just kind of stared, first at Bernard and then at Chloe. "Is he for real?" she asked, addressing Chloe.

Chloe shrugged apologetically, a sheepish expression on her face.

The nurse mumbled something about psychological disorders, took Bernard's name, and directed him and Chloe to the waiting area.

It took them a few minutes just to find an empty spot on the floor so they could sit down, but finally Bernard managed to fight off a family with a stroller to get him and Chloe some space along the wall. They sat down beside an older woman whose entire head was bandaged from the eyebrows up, and Chloe decided once again to try and talk some sense into Bernard.

"Ask any of these people, Bernard," she said enthusiastically, "and they will tell you the exact same story - about Tighten and how Megamind defeated him!"

"I doubt that," Bernard grumbled back.

"Oh, yeah?" Chloe challenged. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

The woman with the bandaged head turned to look at Chloe with a questioning expression on her face.

"Did the psychopath known at Tighten go on a destructive rampage through Metro City last night?" Chloe asked her casually, but had to turn away as fast as she could because the woman gave her such a look that she quite honestly thought she was about to get punched in the face.

"See?" Bernard said, still looking very satisfied with himself.

"Oh, whatever," Chloe replied with a yawn.

"If you must know, my head really hurts."

"I don't care."

"I think I might have permanent brain damage."

"That would explain a lot."

"I do value my brain, you know - something you probably never had to worry about."

"Mhhhmmm," Chloe replied, yawning again.

Bernard said many things after that, but Chloe found something strange happening to her. The noise around her was becoming muffled and unintelligible, her eyelids were drooping, and slowly but surely she drifted off.

* * *

"Don't think about elephants!" Chloe called out as she woke up with a start several hours later. What met her was blinding sunlight pouring through the open window of the emergency room, but not much else. In fact, the room was nearly empty. She groaned at her burning eyes and checked the time on her watch. It was twelve minutes past noon. She rubbed her aching neck and stretched, realizing with frustration that she was not rested at all.

"I can't believe it," came Bernard's strangely quiet voice from beside her. She had actually forgotten that she was currently babysitting him, and for a brief moment was genuinely surprised to find him there. Surprise quickly turned to disappointment. "This can't be possible," Bernard repeated. He had found himself a copy of the morning paper, and was currently immersed in it.

"What is it?" Chloe asked groggily.

"You were right."

"I am well aware of that -"

"Never for a second have I thought that _Megamind _would turn to the side of good… and I have devoted my entire career to him…."

"I didn't know that. Does that mean you're kind of like an expert -"

"I suppose I owe you an apology for last night…."

"Yes…!" Chloe exclaimed, actually thankful to be interrupted for once. "An apology would be very appreciated -"

"BARNEY! BARNEY NADLER?" screamed a nurse across the empty waiting area. Bernard continued to read his paper in oblivion, the front page of which, as Chloe could now make out, was adorned with the big bold headline, "**BADBOY DOES GOOD - TIGHTEN BEHIND BARS**."

"Uhm… Bernard…?" Chloe said cautiously. "I think you're being called in."

"I'm not going in," Bernard replied, putting down his paper and staring off into space for a couple of moments.

"… What?" Chloe asked uncertainly.

"I'm fine. I don't need a doctor," Bernard replied, placing the paper on the floor beside him and getting up.

"You're kidding, right?" Chloe exclaimed, getting up as well. "After everything I did to get you here, you're just going to leave?"

"Yes, I need to get back to the museum. I need to find out when I'm returning to my job," Bernard said, heading for the door.

"And what about my apology?" Chloe called after him.

"What about it?" Bernard asked without looking back, and was gone.

Chloe had never felt this frustrated in her life. She was exhausted, hurt, and confused, and she had received neither thank you nor sorry for everything she had been through. She gave out a rather Bernard-like sigh and headed forcefully towards the door, but a sound behind her made her stop. It was the tiny TV sitting on a table in the waiting room, emanating from which was Roxanne Ritchi's voice.

"… live from the Metro Man museum, with the mayor himself!"

"Thank you, Miss Ritchi," replied the mayor, "though I'm afraid this won't be the Metro Man museum for much longer!"

"Whatever do you mean, sir?" Roxanne asked, making Chloe stifle a laugh at her expression of feigned surprise.

"Well, since Metro Man is dead, and since there is a new hero in town, it is only appropriate to re-designate this museum to… MEGAMIND!"

"Oh," Roxanne replied, but her face fell. Then she looked thoughtful. "Oh…." Suddenly a smile spread across her lips, and soon she was beaming. "Oh!"

"You better believe it, Miss Ritchi!" the mayor cried out, seemingly overjoyed with his announcement. "Construction plans have already been made, and the museum is due to reopen in no later than a month! Bring your children, bring your cameras, even bring your dogs! I'll see you ALLthere!"

"Well, this is quite the announcement, mister mayor!" Roxanne said enthusiastically, now an expression of genuine excitement on her face. "I'm sure that all of Metrocity- er, Metro City must be looking forward to this event with hopeful hearts and peace of mind now that a new hero has taken us under his wing!"

"I think so, too, Miss Ritchi!"

"Well, thank you for your time, mister mayor."

"You are most welcome, Miss Ritchi."

"We'll be right back," Roxanne said into the camera, and the news cut to commercial.

Chloe smiled for the first time that morning. The reopening of the museum meant that she would surely get her job back in no time. The fact that she did not have to come into work this afternoon even proved to be an advantage to her, because at the moment there was nothing more she wanted to do than get back to her apartment, crawl into her soft, familiar bed, wrap her blankets tightly around herself, and catch up on all the sleep she missed. With a yawn, she headed out of the emergency room and towards the nearest bus stop… and then her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered, a little annoyed to have her pleasant thoughts of slumber interrupted.

"Claire, this is Bernard. I just got a call from City Hall. They want all available museum employees to come in _straight away_ and help salvage what is left of the art collection. That means you. Bye!"

Chloe slowly withdrew her phone from her ear, and, as her face contorted into an expression of unconstrained rage, she looked up to the cloudless sky with a woeful, "_Fuck._"


	4. OUR GREATEST HITS

_**Our Greatest Hits**_

Megamind was pacing rapidly. He had been pacing ever since Minion started cooking dinner in preparation for Roxanne's visit, which was over an hour ago. Because of his species' incredible endurance, he felt no physical strain, but mentally he was exhausted. He dreaded the hour Roxanne would arrive, because they needed to have a talk.

Roxanne, meanwhile, was regretting forcing Megamind to return Bernard's cell phone. Sure, it was the right thing to do, and, sure, she already had Megamind's replacement phone on her as she drove her rented blue Sebring to No-Longer-Evil Lair, but, damn, not being able to contact Megamind was proving to be a huge disadvantage. For one, she never specified _when _she was coming over for dinner, so, by consequence, she had no idea when Megamind and Minion were expecting her. After much consideration, she decided to arrive at the lair at six o'clock, which was also the time of the dinner reservation made by "Bernard" for their disastrous date three days ago. Luckily for her, Megamind too decided to rely on the same logic and was also expecting her to arrive at six.

No sooner did she arrive at No-Longer-Evil Lair that Roxanne was faced with another problem. Minion had moved the "Secret Entrance" doormat on Megamind's orders, and Roxanne could not for the life of her remember where the secret entrance had been. It looked like she was going to be late for dinner… again… if she was actually able to find the entrance at all, that is.

* * *

"Sir?" Minion asked cheerfully, bustling into the open area of the warehouse where Megamind was currently pacing. He was wearing his frilly pink "Kiss the Cook" apron, and had clearly just come from the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready! Oh… sir? You might want to look at the monitors…."

Minion had a point. Being so deep in thought, Megamind had paid no attention to anything around him, including the security camera screens on the wall beside him, on which Roxanne's grandiosely enlarged face was currently featured as she stared in oblivion past the hidden cameras. Megamind finally stopped his pacing and looked at Roxanne.

"Doesn't she know how to get in?" he asked without facing Minion.

"She must've forgotten where the secret entrance is after I moved the mat," Minion replied.

"And why would you do _that?_" Megamind suddenly snapped, spinning around and taking a step towards Minion, actually making the latter retreat in fear.

"Because you told me to, sir -"

"HEROES OF METROCITY DO NOT HAVE SECRET ENTRANCES, MINION! OR ARE YOU SAYING I SHOULDN'T BE A HERO?"

"No, of course not, sir! I'll go let Miss Ritchi in right away, sir!"

"I'll do it," Megamind snapped and walked off in the direction of the exit, while Minion looked on, wide-eyed.

* * *

"Roxanne! Over here."

Roxanne turned around to see Megamind's head quite literally sticking out of the solid wall behind her.

"There you are!" she cried out, beaming. She ran towards him, hurtled through the holographic wall, and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. After a few seconds, she withdrew and smiled at him warmly.

"You… seem to be in a good mood," Megamind said blankly.

"For the first time in days!" Roxanne replied cheerfully, walking past him into the lair. "Mmmm, something smells good!"

As they made their way towards the kitchen, Megamind realized Roxanne was quite right. Wafting through every vent of the warehouse came the delicious scent of mashed potatoes and meatloaf. It may or may not have been Megamind's design to have the ventilation system connect to the kitchen in exactly a way that would allow this.

"You're just in time for dinner, but -"

"Great! I'm _starving._ Oh, andI have a surprise for you! Look!" Roxanne exclaimed, whipping out Megamind's new cell phone from her pocket. "I figured you'd like a black one, but I thought you might want to attach the spikes yourself."

"Yes… black… and spikes… I'm an expert on that…." Megamind mumbled, taking the phone from Roxanne's hand and putting it in his pocket.

"I already set up a plan for it, too! I hope you like unlimited everything! All you have to do is pay the bill! It will be delivered here every month, or you can even pay online!"

"That's great, Roxanne. Thank you, but -"

"Miss Ritchi!" came Minion's excited voice from ahead as his grand figure rounded the corner of the dimly-lit corridor Megamind and Roxanne were currently walking down.

"Minion!" Roxanne cried out upon seeing him, and, within seconds, he too was greeted with a warm, albeit awkward, hug. It was awkward simply because Minion was so much bigger than Roxanne, which made it extremely hard for her to wrap her arms around him.

"How are you, Miss Ritchi?" Minion asked politely. "I hope being called into work this morning wasn't too sudden for you."

"On the contrary, Minion, it made everything fall into place! Besides, I am about to have dinner with my two favorite people in the world, and I couldn't be happier."

If a fish could blush, Minion would have been beet red just then. It was not even because Roxanne called him one of her best friends, nor because she complimented his cooking skills, but because she referred to him and Megamind as "people." To an alien, especially an alien _fish_, that meant a lot.

"The dinner table is set, sir," Minion said, addressing his master now. "Should we go ahead to the dining room now?"

"Yes," Roxanne replied with a cocky smile before Megamind could once again begin to protest.

Minion led the way further down the winding hallway, but, although she had spent the entire day here yesterday, Roxanne had absolutely no idea where they were going.

"I swear we have to be lost," she began warily, trying desperately to see through the thickening darkness, "because there is no way -"

Minion pressed on a part of seeming inconspicuous wall, and it swung open like a door. Bright light poured into the passageway, momentarily blinding Roxanne as Megamind and Minion led her through the opening and into the well-lit room beyond. As Roxanne regained the use of her eyes, Minion shut the door behind them. Except… it wasn't much of a door. It was a huge painting of a great white shark that hung… in the dining room.

"- this leads to the dining room," Roxanne finished, astounded. "Honestly, what's the point of having a secret passage that leads to the _dining room?_"

"Oh, I know!" Megamind cried out suddenly. "It was a stupid idea!"

Minion and Roxanne stared at him and then at each other, unsure of how to reply to his unprecedented outburst.

"I'll… bring in the food, sir," Minion said carefully, and hastily made his way out of the room, using the main door this time.

Megamind sat down heavily in one of the dining chairs and allowed himself to slouch onto the table, his head resting on top of his folded arms. Roxanne sat down in the chair beside him and searched his face for whatever was troubling him, but he avoided eye contact with her.

"This is a very beautiful dining set," she said finally, trying to lift his spirits, and she had reason. The set really _was _beautiful. The table and chairs were made of gorgeous rich mahogany, with exquisite designs of marine life crafted into the woodwork, and the dark red cushions on the chairs were embroidered with images of starfish, mollusks, and stingrays done in blue thread. On the walls hung stunning, though rather peculiar, paintings of different species of shark, from leopard to hammerhead, and from the ceiling descended a breathtaking chandelier, decorated with swaying crystal dolphins. Roxanne had been in this room at least three times yesterday, but she still could not quite get used to the… style.

"Thank you, Roxanne," Megamind replied. "It's just -"

"I'm back!" The main door swung open and Minion came bustling through, carrying in his hands a silver tray with three plates, two glasses, and a bottle of wine. He set the tray down in the middle of the table, placed Megamind and Roxanne's respective plates and glasses in front of them, poured them some wine, and finally went to sit down at the table with his own plate. "Bon appetit!" he exclaimed, very pleased with himself.

"Thank you, Minion," Roxanne said with a smile, but, upon observing the contents of Minion's plate, which were exclusively meatloaf, she asked, "but aren't _you_ having any mashed potatoes? They look very delicious."

Minion looked positively flushed by the compliment, but he had to answer Roxanne's question. "See these teeth, Miss Ritchi?" he asked, pointing at his razor-sharp protruding lower teeth. "These be the teeth of a meat-eater, so no potatoes for me."

Roxanne couldn't help but giggle at Minion's endearingly simple explanation. "A toast, then," she said, lifting her glass, "to Minion, the best-natured, most intelligent, and sweetest ravenous carnivore I have ever met."

"You're too kind, Miss Ritchi," Minion replied, trying to hide his elation as Roxanne clinked Megamind's effortfully raised glass. Finally, it seemed, they were ready to eat.

Not much was said during the meal except for the expected compliments about the food and wine. Megamind, who was normally the biggest chatterbox out of the three, was unusually quiet and hardly touched his food. Minion and Roxanne, however, remained silent for their own reasons. Minion was simply too overjoyed to have a guest over and for the most part found himself speechless. Roxanne, on the other hand, was in a state of dreamful bliss from being with these people, not to mention being absorbed by the unusual way in which Minion ate. He used chopsticks and a knife on his meatloaf, cutting off pieces and carrying them to the top of this water-filled dome where a small access hatch in the glass allowed him to drop the meat into the water, so he could catch it in his mouth and eat it. It seemed like a lot of effort, but Minion never complained about it.

Once the meal was finished, Minion was thanked and flattered once again by Roxanne, after which he collected the dirty dishes and left the room with them. Before anything else could be done, Megamind stood up, looked around shiftily, then went and locked the door behind Minion. "Roxanne," he said, turning to look at her uncomfortably, "we need to talk."

"Yes?" she asked, a smile on her face and her hands folded in her lap in a relaxed manner.

"Ever since I saw you doing that piece with the mayor on TV this afternoon… I've come to realize something…."

"Really? I've come to realize something as well!"

"You… you have…?"

"I have, but you tell me first."

"No, you go first. I really need to know."

"Are you sure? I would feel bad for interrupting you, but… if you insist…"

"Of course I'm sure. I don't mind. Though I suppose I _could _go first…."

"I think you're perfect to be the new protector of Metro City!"

"I don't think I can be the new protector of Metrocity!"

They said this in perfect unison. While Roxanne did not make out what Megamind had said, Megamind understood what Roxanne said clearly.

"You… do?" he asked.

"Of course I do!" Roxanne exclaimed. "I must admit that, before today… I had my doubts, _especially _after I found out what you did to Bernard, but ever since the mayor announced that the reconstructed museum will be named after you, everything just felt… _right_, and that's when I knew. You're the one, Megamind. You're the new hero of Metro City."

She looked at him then, an expression of pure pride and adoration on her face, and he understood. He understood why she seemed so inattentive to his emotions ever since she got here. She was, simply put, blinded by her own love for him, and it made his heart skip a beat, both because he loved her just as intensely, but also because he was about to sorely disappoint her. Before he could say anything, however, there was a knock on the door and a yanking on the door handle.

"Sir, is everything alright in there?" came Minion's worried voice from the other side.

"Code, 'Not now, Minion!'" Megamind yelled back, frustrated.

"Oh…. Okay, if you say so, sir," Minion replied, and his retreating footsteps echoed down the hall.

"So what was it that you wanted to tell me?" Roxanne asked, still smiling warmly.

Megamind sighed, but he knew he had to tell her the truth, even if it was going to break her heart. If there was one thing he learned from being a villain, it was that lying only got you and everyone around you hurt.

"Roxanne, listen…. After the mayor made his announcement, I realized that I could never be Metrocity's new hero."

"… What?" Roxanne asked, her face falling. "Why?"

"Because I could never live up to what Metrocity wants me to be. I could never fill Metro Man's shoes. I could never be the symbol of the strong, unbreakable, immovable power that my statue would represent…." Megamind trailed off, overcome by shame.

"Megamind…" Roxanne began quietly, approaching him, "the city _needs_ a hero, and it doesn't matter to it whether he has powers or whether he is bald and has the complexion of a popular primary colour." She lay a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You may think so, Roxanne, but what if you're wrong? I've been a disappointment as a villain my whole life, so I'll most likely be one as a hero…."

Roxanne squeezed his shoulder, searching his face, then backed off suddenly.

"You won't go back to being a villain, will you?" she asked cautiously.

"Oh, bad heavens, no - I will be neither hero nor villain. For now, I will just be myself, a nameless alien from a nameless planet with a nameless purpose."

"Then I understand," Roxanne said determinedly.

Now it was Megamind's turn to be surprised.

"You do…?" he asked.

"Whatever it is you are going through, I will be here to help you through it."

"You… will be?" Megamind stuttered, a small smile of pleasant disbelief appearing on his lips.

"Of course I will, you idiot. I- I-"

But before she could finish, Megamind had her face in his hands, and her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, and he was kissing her like he had only fantasized of kissing her before. After a few seconds, he pulled away and looked her straight in the eyes. "I love you," he said, no hesitation.

"Yes, that," she replied, and hugged him closely.

"Oh, Roxanne," Megamind cried out, pushing her away slightly so as to look her in the face, "I want to show you something!"

"Alright," Roxanne said with a giggle, "what is it?"

"It's in the TV room. Just follow me!"

With a smile, Megamind led Roxanne back to the hidden door which was the great white shark painting. One more time through the secret passage they went, the hallway growing darker and darker with every step they took, until suddenly they reached a dead end.

"M-Megamind, are we lost?" Roxanne asked, looking around desperately even though there was nothing around her but darkness.

"Of course not… or don't you trust me?" Megamind replied smugly, grasping at the wall in front of them as if in search of something.

"At the moment…?" Roxanne began, but just then Megamind found what he was looking for. It was a lever built into the side of the wall, and he gave it a hard pull. "WHOA!' Roxanne exclaimed as the floor beneath their feet gave a mighty jolt. In an effort to keep her balance, she grabbed onto Megamind's free hand, and he pulled her close. The floor beneath them was now descending steadily, and Roxanne realized that Megamind had led her into an elevator. After a minute or two, the elevator came to a stop, but no more secret passageways opened. Instead, Roxanne found herself surrounded by four solid walls, three concrete and one wooden. She squeezed Megamind's hand with an uncertain, "Are we there yet?"

"We most certainly are," Megamind replied, and gave the wooden wall, which was across from the one with the lever, a series of distinct knocks. Within seconds, the wall slid open, and Megamind and Roxanne stepped out of the elevator.

"The TV room," she remarked with an incredulous smile, looking even more incredulous upon seeing that the wooden "wall" was really the back of a cabinet filled with classical literature and old movies. "Tell me, and I'm not trying to offend you or anything, but are all of these secret doors and passageways _really _necessary?"

"Necessary?" Megamind asked, rapping the side of the cabinet with his knuckles in that same particular pattern, causing it to slide back into its usual position. "Not really. Totally awesome? Hell, yeah!"

"If you say so," Roxanne replied, shaking her head.

"Come on. Sit down on the sofa," Megamind said, leading Roxanne towards the centerpiece of the room. The sofa, which was made from black leather, looked ancient, and when Roxanne sat down on it, she literally sank into it a few inches. Its comfort level ironically did not match its looming design. If one were to disregard the sofa, compared to the dining room, the TV room looked almost normal. Sure, the giant black TV screen that hung on the wall in front of the sofa had spikes around the edges, and, sure, the navy carpeting not only covered the entire floor, but also the walls and the ceiling, but nevertheless everything else looked more or less like what you would find in the average study - the cabinet, an armchair here and there, a floor lamp in every corner, and a desk beside the main door with a computer that somehow managed to look both hi-tech and old school at the same time. Its monitor showed feeds from security cameras around the warehouse, one of which currently featured Minion playing a game of fetch with the Spiderbot.

"Are we going to watch a movie?" Roxanne asked, knowing full well this was the only logical answer and that she was doubtlessly going to be wrong.

"Did you really think I would subject you to something as absolutely predictable as that?" Megamind asked with a mischievous smile. "No, Roxanne, this -" He made a move towards the cabinet, but stopped in his tracks when he realized that he and Roxanne were still holding hands. Their eyes met for a split second, then each looked away in flattered embarrassment. Roxanne let Megamind's fingers slip out of her own, and Megamind felt blood rushing to his cheeks, causing him to feel even more embarrassed. He cleared his throat and proceeded towards the cabinet. "- this… is far more engaging." He took a CD case from the top shelf of the cabinet. "I worked on it all of this morning, before, you know, the mayor made his announcement and I lost it…." He brought the disk over to the TV. "This is us. This is every single moment we ever spent together captured on film. It's our greatest hits." He slid the disk into the Blu-ray player built into the TV, and joined Roxanne on the sofa.

"Every single moment we ever spent together?" Roxanne asked, mildly skeptical.

"Everything that was captured on film, yes," Megamind replied as he made himself comfortable. "News reports, security camera feeds, Spybot footage - you name it!"

Roxanne, to Megamind's biggest disappointment, suddenly laughed. "You realize what we're about to watch is a marathon of you fighting and losing to Metro Man over and over and over again?"

"Yes, but none of that matters… now that we have each other."

Roxanne stopped laughing, but she didn't say anything either. Instead, she took off her shoes and brought her feet up from the floor, bending her legs at the knees and letting them rest to her side. She leaned back into the sofa, crossing one arm with Megamind's and letting her head rest on his shoulder. Megamind froze on the spot, unable to move in fear of it spoiling the moment, but Roxanne urged him to play the video. Reluctantly and most carefully, he clapped his hands twice to turn off the lights in the room, then hit play on the Blu-ray remote which lay on the arm on the sofa, and the video began.

The first time he kidnapped her happened a couple of years after they both graduated high school. By that time, everybody had fallen into the roles that grew to define them - Megamind the villain, Roxanne the nosy reporter who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and Metro Man the hero who would always come to her rescue. Megamind had just adopted the abandoned warehouse as his Evil Lair and worked out a prototype of the Forget-Me Spray. To Megamind, it sounded like the perfect plan. Roxanne was just about to conduct the interview that would cement her career as a reporter - a live question and answer session with Metro Man outside of City Hall - and Megamind was going to kidnap her right from in front of Metro Man's nose on national television. The invisible motorcycle did its job, providing both cover and a menacing racket which allowed Minion to snatch up Roxanne while Megamind drove. The Forget-Me Spray prototype worked pretty well, too… at first… though Megamind soon found out that its effects wore off much faster on humans than on Minionfish. Roxanne woke up and put up such a fight that Megamind nearly lost control of the bike. Eventually, it became necessary to put her under again, which Megamind chose to do in a back alley in the vicinity of his lair. The only problem became that Megamind had to hold her down while Minion sprayed, and since their faces were so close to each other for the procedure, one strategically-timed duck from Roxanne caused Megamind to get a face-full of spray instead. Had that been the worst of it, perhaps Minion might have been able to hold Roxanne down long enough to spray her, and then get both her and Megamind back to the Evil Lair, but, alas, that was when Metro Man descended from the sky like a tasseled white eagle, followed by about five camera crews in vans and helicopters.

Megamind paused the video. "I think you should know that when I finally woke up, Minion and I were back in jail. He had to fill me in on the details of my grand failure, and yet that very night I was already planning my next ingenious escape!"

"You're one to complain! You have _no idea _how terrified I was when you first kidnapped me… at least until you got sprayed in the face. That's when it became just kind of funny."

"Oh, I beg to differ! I'm pretty sure I still have an imprint of your _high-heeled shoe_ where it collided with the back of my skull when you kicked me while I was _driving a motorcycle._"

"Can you blame me? I thought I was about to _die!_"

"So did I after getting kicked in the head!"

"Just press play!"

"Okay!"

Megamind let the video continue playing, and they settled down again long enough to watch news footage of what happened after Metro Man made his majestic appearance. The first thing he did was smash Megamind's now visible bike to pieces, then used the tailpipe as a makeshift bond to tie Minion's robotic arms behind his back. Once Minion was lying immobilized on the ground, Metro Man attended to Roxanne. He helped her to her feet to the gathering crowd's excited cheering, then led her to the ambulance which had just arrived. The camera panned back to show Megamind and Minion lying in the middle of the debris of their smashed-up motorbike - the footage was about to be over, but… Megamind paused the video again.

"What now?" Roxanne asked, getting annoyed. "I'm actually _really_ enjoying this!"

"What was that look you gave?"

"What look?"

Megamind rewound the video back a few seconds, to the moment when the camera panned away from Metro Man and Roxanne to himself and Minion, then paused it once more. "Look at yourself in the background. You just turned around and looked at something. What were you looking at?"

"Well…" Roxanne began, squinting, "... I'm pretty sure I was looking at you guys, actually."

"But what were you thinking just then? What were you feeling?"

"Just then?" Roxanne asked with a thoughtful sigh. "Well, I guess at that moment I realized just how futile your efforts to one-up Metro Man were and always will be. I realized you were never going to win, which meant you were never going to hurt me. I think from that moment on I was no longer afraid of you."

"So… you were feeling _pity_ then?"

"Maybe a little bit, yes, but I also couldn't help but admire you for trying, you know?"

"So, you _admired _me… all this time?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Oh, Roxanne! To be admired was all I ever wanted, all I ever strived for. If you had told me this back then, we could have been together for years. Why didn't you tell me?"

"How was I supposed to know whether I would change you or just tickle your overactive ego? Besides, what if you rejected me? It wasn't that simple, you know."

"Trust me, Roxanne. It wasn't simple for me either."

There was a pause, but neither of them could tell whether it was sweet or awkward. "Press play?" Roxanne begged.

Megamind did, and many similar stories proceeded to grace the TV screen. Though the settings and circumstances varied, the plot and characters remained the same. Megamind kidnapped Roxanne and placed her in some mortal danger, then Metro Man came to the rescue and battled Megamind. Unquestionably, something in Megamind's ingenious plan went wrong, allowing Metro Man save Roxanne's life at the last minute and throw Megamind back in jail. As the years went by, Megamind's plans grew more and more diabolical, and Roxanne came closer and closer to losing her life. Sure, the Equestrinator and Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Kittens were a complete disaster, but other plans, sometimes literally, had Roxanne hanging on by a hair. As each new plan showed Roxanne nearer and nearer to death, Megamind couldn't help but make comments like, "One more second and you would've been confetti!" or, "Had that tiger shark only been a little bit hungrier, you would've been fish chum!" or, "Funny how that coal crusher was just about to crush your head, isn't it?"

Finally, Roxanne had had enough of his behavior. She grabbed the TV remote out of his hand and paused the consecutive video of her about to die a painfully gruesome death. "Okay, Iknow _I _said I knew you would never manage to hurt me, but didn't _you _for a second think you might? I mean surely you wanted your plans to succeed, which by consequence meant… you wanted to kill me."

"Oh… Roxanne," Megamind began, going rose in the face with guilt and embarrassment, "I could _never _hurt you."

"_Really? _Because I can think of plenty examples to the contrary."

"I know you can, Roxanne, but there are so many things you don't know -"

"Yeah? Like what?" Roxanne snapped, still skeptical.

"Like the fact that every single bomb I ever strapped onto you would _never _have gone off… or the fact that I fed Tigey _five _times the morning I kidnapped you… or that, whenever you were slowly approaching imminent danger, whatever it was which was going to hurt you would've jammed a second before harming you."

"You're… not kidding, are you?"

"I'd never take chances when it comes to your safety, Roxanne. Let me continue the video and you'll see."

Roxanne nodded and Megamind let the video play again. What it currently featured was Roxanne being slowly but surely descended head-first into a vat of boiling acid as Megamind looked on smugly from a platform by its side. Beside him was a wall of security camera monitors, on which could be seen Metro Man's flashing shape as he desperately tried to find his way to Roxanne through the maze that was the abandoned chemical plant. Around every corner, he met an invention of Megamind's that would try to hinder his progress and be destroyed within seconds. Roxanne was getting closer and closer to the noxious, churning liquid, but it seemed Metro Man still had a way to go.

"Watch me now," Megamind said to Roxanne, pointing at himself on the TV screen.

Roxanne watched. She watched Megamind glance at the security screens and then at his hostage, watched his facial expression go from that of smugness to undeniable concern, and then watched him take a remote out his pocket, press down on a button, then look back at his contraption. Immediately, Roxanne noticed her descent into the acid slow down to snail pace. She would have never realized it at the time, but it was so obvious to her now.

"You slowed me down to give Metro Man enough time to get to me…."

"And I would've stopped you if I had to."

"Megamind?" Roxanne asked, turning to look him in the eyes.

"Yes?" he replied, preparing for the worst.

"You are the biggest idiot I have ever met," she said, but she was smiling.

Megamind breathed a sigh of relief and smiled back. He wanted to turn back to the television, but he felt Roxanne's arm tighten against his, and her fingers intertwine with his own. She reached out and touched his face with her free hand, gently running her fingers along his cheekbone and down to his chin. His breath caught at the unexpected contact, but Roxanne continued to caress his face, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek and temple, until finally her fingers came to rest on his ear. Megamind's eyes widened at her touch, and Roxanne realized she had discovered a sensitive spot of his. She massaged his earlobe, watching his face as he exhaled and shut his eyes in pleasure. Making full use of her discovery, Roxanne leaned in and kissed the outside of his ear, then ran her tongue down the inside until she was back at the earlobe, which she tugged at gently with her teeth. She felt Megamind give in to her completely and smiled in satisfaction as he rested his forehead on her shoulder and bit his lower lip. She gave him one more kiss on the ear, then kissed his cheekbone, his cheek, and finally his lips. She kissed him slowly and thoroughly, savoring every second, and after several minutes Megamind finally seemed to return to his senses. He put his other arm to good use, placing it behind Roxanne's neck and pulling her closer, lower, until he was laying down on the sofa and she was laying on top of him. Aroused by the change in position, Roxanne changed her kissing technique to rougher, more passionate, and Megamind soon found her tongue frequenting his mouth. At first, he was at a complete loss of how to respond, but it was not long before he discovered his own tongue moving against and caressing hers. In the heat of the moment, they had completely forgotten the TV was still on in the background, and yet through the mess of it all they had still managed to keep one hand holding the other's.

After a while, they felt themselves begin to tire, and their kisses became softer and gentler. By that time, the video had almost finished playing, and what was being shown now was Megamind's final kidnapping of Roxanne - the plan that changed everything. It was getting late, and thoughts of sleep were slowly beginning to take over both of their minds. Eventually, they relaxed on the sofa, Roxanne laying her head down on Megamind's chest, to watch the final few minutes of the video. On the screen was security camera footage of Megamind trying to elicit fear in tied-up Roxanne through the use of his most terrifying weapons of destruction, and Roxanne having none of it.

"You have no idea how hard I was trying to impress you just then," Megamind said sleepily.

"_Impress_ me?" Roxanne replied with a yawn. "I would've rather guessed you were trying to embarrass yourself!"

"I would embarrass myself for you any time, temptress," Megamind said, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Roxanne felt her eyelids drooping and yawned again. "Remember when I told you heroes aren't born, they're made?"

"Of course I do," Megamind replied, yawning as well.

"Well, I was wrong. If you weren't born a hero, nothing in this world can make you one."

"Yes, I know. That's why I can't be Metrocity's protector."

"But you _can_, Megamind… because you_ were_ born to be a hero."

As was often with him, a single thought triggered a complex idea in Megamind's brain. His whole body gave a jolt, and he nearly went to get up, but then remembered Roxanne's still form resting on top of him. She was ever so delightfully warm - much warmer than his own species - and her breathing was soft and steady.

"I love you, Blue," she mumbled, and after several minutes Megamind realized she had fallen asleep.

* * *

Roxanne woke up eight hours later, alone. Megamind had been replaced by a fluffy ocean-blue pillow, and there was a green comforter covering her. Feeling hurt by being abandoned so, she got off of the sofa and stomped towards the main door, planning on running rampant through the lair until she found Megamind and told him off. She had almost made it to the door when Minion burst through, carrying a tray laden with coffee and various foodstuffs. He set it down on the computer desk beside the door.

"Good morning, Miss Ritchi!" he exclaimed, beaming from fin to fin. "I saw you were up and brought you breakfast, as per Megamind's orders!"

"Minion, where's Meg- Wait. How did you know I was up?"

"I saw it on the security screens, of course," Minion replied innocently, still smiling.

"_What?_" Roxanne hissed, looking around the room frantically."You mean there's a _camera _in here? You've been watching me _sleep?_"

"Among other things."

"Among _other _things?" Roxanne cried out, but then decided she simply was not feeling up to discussing her personal life with a fish in a gorilla suit. "Minion, where's Megamind?"

"Oh, he's in his super secret drafting room -"

Roxanne headed for the door once again, seeing as she was pretty sure the room she had passed the other day with a sign on the door that said "Super Secret Drafting Room" was exactly what Minion was talking about, but Minion refused to let her through.

"- _but _he's not allowing anybody in, not even me," he finished.

"Minion, get out of my way," Roxanne ordered, shoving past him and finally getting out into the hallway. She headed past mounted robot busts in the direction she remembered the drafting room being in.

"Megamind won't be happy, you know!" Minion shouted, hurrying after her.

"_Good_," Roxanne replied, unabashed. She rounded a couple of corners and then reached a staircase, which she began to climb.

"He won't be happy with _me,_" Minion cried out, still running after her. "I was supposed to keep you out!"

Roxanne wasn't listening anymore. She had reached the second floor of the warehouse, and had emerged into yet another narrow hallway, this one made even narrower by the leaning stacks of diagrams, designs, and notes along either wall. She knew she was in the right place, and, surely enough, she was soon standing face-to-face with a door labeled "Super Secret Drafting Room." Yet, as soon as she reached for the handle, the door swung open and Megamind emerged, immediately closing the door behind him.

"Roxanne!" he exclaimed, smiling insanely and giving her cheeks a quick squeeze. "Guess what?"

"_What?_" Roxanne snapped.

"You were wrong!"

"What?" Roxanne asked, her guard suddenly lowered by honest confusion.

"You were wrong about what you said last night, about what it takes to be a hero!"

"I know that, Megamind. I _admitted _it."

"No, you were _wrong _about being _wrong._"

"So… I was right?"

"_No_, you were _wrong._"

"… You lost me."

"I wasn't _born _a hero, Roxanne, but I can sure as hell make myself one! It'll just take a lot of work… a _lot_… of work…."

"… You're going to be a hero? That's… that's… _great!_" Roxanne stammered, all feelings of anger dissipating into relief.

"You know, in about a month or so. As I said, there's a lot I need to do to prepare -"

"A _month!_" Roxanne screeched, anger bubbling to the surface again. "The city needs you _now_, Megamind! Have you seen the _state_ it's in? Buildings need to be rebuilt, roads repaved, bridges reconstructed! It can't wait _an_ _entire month_ for that! Besides, what could you _possibly _need to do that would take so long?"

"Oh, that's a secret until the big day - the opening of my museum, but don't you worry! I'll just send out the Brainbots in the meantime."

"The… Brainbots?"

"Sure! I've got literally hundreds of thousands of them! Most are back in storage, but there's no reason not to bring them out again. They'll clean up and rebuild the city while I work. I'll even let _you _keep one!"

"Um, I don't think I need a -" Roxanne began to protest, but Megamind suddenly gave out a long, high-pitched whistle. For several seconds, nothing seemed to happen, but then Roxanne heard it, emanating from a large vent in the wall above her head, a faint banging and humming, gradually getting louder and closer. A couple more seconds, and the grate covering the vent opening was practically blown out of the wall as a stream of about fifty Brainbots barreled in, filling the already narrow hallway up to the ceiling.

"Bowg, bowg, bowg, bowg, bowg?" each Brainbot inquired, fixing its eye on Megamind expectantly.

Megamind looked back at them thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "You, Forty-Two, come here!" he finally yelled out, pointing his finger at the only pink-colored Brainbot in the group. The robot flew up to him confidently, blinking its eye. "Go with that foxy young lady over there," Megamind said, motioning at Roxanne. "She is your master now." The Brainbot's eye widened in surprise, but two seconds later it had thrown itself into Roxanne's arms, nearly knocking her off of her feet in its enthusiasm. "She really seems to like you, Roxanne!" Megamind remarked cheerfully.

Roxanne stared at the Brainbot in her arms, noticing its pink coloration, then at the rest of the Brainbots, who were exclusively blue. "She…?" Roxanne asked, now staring at Megamind. "Is… is this the only _female _Brainbot?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because that's just kind of… tragic."

"Don't look at me! She was Minion's idea! _He _said we should have a Brainbot who's less vicious and who would keep the others in check! Though, I must admit, she _was _very useful in that regard."

"Yeah, she's…" Roxanne said, trying to ignore the Brainbot as it was now rubbing its half-closed eye against her arm and making a low rumbling sound, "… nice. Does she have a name?"

"Of course she does. I called her by it."

"That was a number, not a name."

"But all my Brainbots go by number. For example, there's Four, Eight, Fifteen, Sixteen, Twenty-Three, and, of course, Forty-Two," Megamind said, pointing out each Brainbot as he called out its number.

"You can remember all of their numbers?"

"Of course."

"But didn't you say you had _hundreds of thousands _of them?"

"Yeah?"

"… Never mind. Thanks for the Brainbot."

"You're most welcome; now, back to business - _MINION!_" Megamind bellowed at his sidekick, who had been sulking by the door to the staircase this whole time. Minion came forward, looking undeniably guilty. "I thought I told you to bring Miss Ritchi breakfast and keep her _out of here._"

"I _did _bring her breakfast, but -"

"No buts! I'm never asking you to make her breakfast again!"

Minion gasped. "You _wouldn't,_" he said, his lower lip beginning to tremble.

"Oh, I _would,_" Megamind replied.

"Stop it, both of you!' Roxanne exclaimed. "Megamind, will you forgive Minion if I let him feed me breakfast?"

"I _suppose..._"

"Good. Minion, take me back to the TV room."

"Yes, ma'am!" Minion replied, a grateful smile on his face.

"Ciao, ciao, then," Megamind said, waving them off and disappearing back into the Super Secret Drafting Room.

"So how long has he been like that?" Roxanne asked Minion as they headed back towards the staircase.

"Since around the time you fell asleep last night," Minion replied.

"Oh. He has a plan, Minion, and I don't like it."

"Trust me, Miss Ritchi. I know _exactly _what you mean."


	5. CHANGES

_**Changes**_

It had been a relatively uneventful month. Ever since Miss Ritchi made an announcement on Megamind's behalf that Megamind will indeed be attending the grand reopening of the museum, Metro City's spirits have nevertheless never been higher. Construction throughout the city was progressing at an admirable pace, mostly due to the hundreds of thousands of Brainbots Megamind had sent out to help the crews. Work on the museum was being completed fastest of all, and Chloe and Bernard found themselves with plenty to do.

Bernard had returned to what, as Chloe soon found out, was his normal state of being. He spoke very little, and whenever he did have something to say, it was usually of the insulting kind. There were only two instances to the contrary, one of which happened the night after Chloe's first day of work. She had just gotten into bed, completely exhausted and wishing for nothing more than the sweet repose of uninterrupted sleep, when her cell phone went off.

"Hello…?" she answered groggily.

"_CLAIRE, THIS IS BERNARD,_" came a deafening voice from the other end. Chloe withdrew her cell phone from her ear and listened to it from a distance. "I just discovered _ANOTHER INJURY _on my head! It's a _BUMP,_ and it's smack in the middle of my forehead! I have _NO IDEA _how I got it! _Claire? _I think you need to take me to the emergency room again…!"

This was the point at which Chloe stopped listening. She lay the phone down on her bedside table, turned around, and happily went to sleep. She had no idea how long Bernard kept talking that night, but he seemed fine at work the next morning, though a bump really _was _there.

The second incident happened a couple weeks after Chloe started her job. She was on her lunch break when Bernard called her from his work phone with a most strange inquiry.

"I just got a text and I'm very confused. Who is 'Foxy Roxy' and why does she want me to 'wield my laser gun, invade hersecret lair, and hold her hostage?' I mean, _what does that even mean? _And since when do I have 'Foxy Roxy' as a contact?"

Chloe stared into space, completely speechless. She had a theory on who "Foxy Roxy" was, what her text meant, _and _who it was supposed to be for, but thought best notto share the details with Bernard.

"Oh, just got another text: 'Oh, God! Oh, God! Wrong person! So sorry!' … Well, I guess that solves that. Anyway, get back to work."

_Were Megamind and Roxanne dating? _Chloe had to ask herself. She had a good feeling they were, and she found the thought comforting. She trusted Roxanne to be able to use her love for Megamind to keep him on the light side. She had grown suspicious of him and his utter refusal to appear to the public, and could not wait for the museum reopening when he would hopefully relay his plans to the city.

Speaking of which, the reopening was today.

Chloe had taken her new scooter to work that day. It was a pale yellow beaten-up Vespa she bought at a yard sale after receiving her first paycheck two weeks ago. The terrible condition it was in was basically the only thing that allowed her to afford it. It looked like it had been run over by a truck, but it got Chloe to and from work every day, and, since it was considerably better than taking the bus, Chloe had little to complain about.

The entire morning was spent in a frenzy as finishing touches were applied to the entire building. Books were put into place, displays were dusted, and pictures hanging on walls were straightened. As noon came closer and closer, the square outside grew fuller and fuller. Fifteen minutes to noon, all employees were asked to leave the building and join the crowd cheering and yelling outside. Chloe was not the biggest fan of large crowds, but at least she got to stand with Bernard and the rest of her coworkers at the very front of the mass, albeit a little to the side. Neither she nor anyone else knew what Megamind had in store for them today.

When the clock struck noon, "Bad" by Michael Jackson blared across the square, and the mayor entered the concrete platform at the front of the museum. He introduced Megamind as Metro City's new hero, pointing at a solid brick wall behind him. What normally happened at this point was Metro Man walking/dancing/flying/sliding straight through the wall, but Megamind had something better in plan. He simply blasted a hole through it with his De- Gun, and walked right on out. He was wearing his classic black suit, though his cape was missing.

"Alright, put your hands in the air!" Megamind said, spinning his gun on his finger. The crowd did just that, ecstatic. "Now hand over your wallets," Megamind growled suddenly, pointing the gun at his spectators. A hush fell over the crowd as they ceased their cheering uncertainly. "I'm just kidding," Megamind cried out, laughing madly, "just kidding!"

Then something unexpected happened. Roxanne Ritchi ran onto the platform, carrying in her hand one of Metro Man's old capes. She threw her arms around Megamind in a warm embrace, then hung the cape over his shoulders.

"You know, you look really good in white," she said, a loving smile never leaving her lips.

"Megamind, if you plea-" the mayor began, motioning at the celebratory red ribbon tied across the platform, but Megamind never let him finish. He fired his De- Gun at the ribbon to break it, causing the mayor to duck for cover with a rather undignified, "Ahhhh!"

As soon as the ribbon was broken, the giant blue curtain covering Megamind's statue fell to the ground, revealing not only the statue, but also Megamind's sidekick Minion inside Megamind's old battle suit. Both Minion and the robot were holding a boom box over their heads, and at that moment it because clear that is where the music was emanating from.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the mayor announced once he was back on his feet, "Megamind, defender of Metro City!"

Megamind smiled, looking immensely proud of himself, then spun around on his heel with an excited, "Hit it!" to Minion.

Minion raised the volume on his boom box to maximum, which caused the robot to raise the volume on _its _boom box, and then Minion, Megamind, Roxanne, and even the mayor burst into dance, followed by the entire crowd. Yes, even Chloe could not help but dance along. Whatever doubts she had about Megamind were lifted by his unbelievably honest enthusiasm to be a hero, and this enthusiasm was spreading to her as well. It seemed the only person who outright refused to dance was Bernard, who stood watching Megamind in silence with his arms crossed. Chloe wanted to ask him why he was not partaking in the celebration, but she knew whatever attempts she made to communicate with him would prove futile, so she remained silent in her own little bubble of happiness.

Roxanne and Megamind continued to dance, showing off some pretty impressive moves, but then Roxanne jumped into Megamind's arms and kissed him on the cheek, making the paparazzi go wild.

"So I guess they _are_ dating!" Chloe said to Bernard with a satisfied grin.

"What's that?" Bernard asked, called out of his thoughts. "Oh. I suppose they may be."

"Isn't that _great?_"

"I suppose it's… something."

"You really don't care, do you?"

"The only thing that matters is that Megamind continues being a hero."

"Oh, he will. I'm sure of it."

"At least one of us is."

"Why are you so cynical all of a sudden?"

"You asked me once if I am an expert on Megamind. I am. This is how I know he has spent the majority of his life doing evil; and people don't change overnight, Chloe."

Chloe wanted to protest, but quite honestly she could not come up with anything groundbreaking as a rebuttal. Besides, Bernard had just called her by her correct name for the first time in _weeks, _so she did not really want to spoil the moment.

Minion had to let "Bad" finish playing before anything else could have been said or done. Once the song was over, however, Megamind had an announcement to make.

"I would like every one of my mega fans to meet me at No-Longer-Evil Lair in exactly _one hour _for a surprise of mega proportions!" he said to his audience. "Those who come out will _not _be disappointed! Ciao, ciao for now, Metrocity!"

In the meantime, Minion had made the battle suit kneel down and lower one arm until the hand was touching the ground. He then got the glass dome covering the upper part of the robot's body to open so as to allow access inside. Megamind performed a grandiose bow, took Roxanne by the hand, and the two of them walked up the robot's arm to join Minion in the control chamber beneath the dome. Minion closed the dome behind them and got the battle suit back onto its feet. All three of them waved goodbye to the crowd, ecstatic smiles on their faces, and then Minion piloted the robot off of the platform and away towards No-Longer-Evil Lair.

It took about fifteen minutes of excited conversation and sharing of opinions before the mass finally began to dissipate. Chloe stood waiting for her boss, watching as the rest of her coworkers left the square and returned to the museum, but Bernard made no move to leave. Instead, he stood rooted to the spot, shiftily eyeing the passers-by.

"Shouldn't we… go?" Chloe asked finally.

"We'll have to take your scooter."

"Wait… _what?_"

"If I take my car, it'll be missing from my parking spot, and they'll immediately know I'm skipping work; but nobody would notice if you or your scooter were missing. Other than me, that is, but that's irrelevant."

"I don't follow. Why would you or me, or anyone else for that matter, be skipping work?"

"Are we not on the same page here? To go to No-Longer-Evil Lair, of course."

"Hold on. You… want to go?" Chloe asked incredulously. When Bernard refused to answer, she continued. "But Megamind said to be there in _an_ _hour _from now! We'll be on lunch break by then, so why not _wait _'til then?"

"Because I want to see the surprise first!" Bernard blurted out. Chloe just stared. Bernard opened his mouth as if to say something more, but no words came out.

"I can't believe it…." Chloe said slowly, a ridiculous smile forming on her face. "You're a _Megamind fanboy!_"

"I am no such thing!" Bernard cried out defensively. "It is just in my field of study, and -"

"You know, just for _this,_" Chloe interrupted, still grinning madly,"I am willing to skip work today."

Bernard glared at her, but, since he got what he wanted, he could not find any reason to stay mad at her.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, _fanboy,_" Chloe teased, heading off in the general direction of the staff parking lot. "I'll give you a ride."

Bernard followed, fuming.

It took them about ten minutes to get to No-Longer-Evil Lair, and, as they had arrived a half-hour early, they were alone. Everything was going according to plan, until Bernard asked a simple question:

"How do we get in?"

Chloe stared at what appeared to be nothing but uninterrupted vandalized wall, until she saw it - a huge banner hanging over a part of the wall to their left, which said, in big sky-blue letters, "MAIN ENTRANCE!" It had multicoloured balloons tied to each end, and was decorated with bright pink hearts.

"Through… there?" Chloe suggested, motioning with her hand.

They walked up to that particular part of wall, also covered in graffiti, and regarded it uncertainly for a few seconds.

"Maybe we should knock?" Bernard asked, lightly tapping the wall with his knuckles. He had to stifle a yell as his hand went right through the bricks.

"Incredible - it's a hologram!" Chloe exclaimed, also extending her arm through the wall. She then entered fully and dragged Bernard in behind her.

They made their way down a wide dimly-lit hallway until they stepped onto the main floor of the warehouse. What met their eyes then was the last thing either of them had expected - a yard sale. Standing in the middle of it all were Megamind, Minion, and Roxanne, and two of them looked to be in a heated argument. Megamind and Roxanne had clearly formed a disagreement on something, and Minion looked on, worried and indecisive. The fight came to an awkward pause as the trio noticed Chloe and Bernard staring at them.

"_Bernard?_" all three of them asked in unison.

"You're having a _yard sale?_" Bernard asked incredulously in response.

"Yes, I am!" Megamind replied happily.

"No, he's _not,_" Roxanne corrected him sternly.

"We… haven't really decided yet…." Minion added uncertainly.

"Bernard, _please _talk some sense into him," Roxanne exclaimed, motioning angrily at Megamind. "Tell him selling his evil inventions is by far the most _reckless _thing a hero could do. If I had known from the beginning… what he was planning… none of this would be happening right now…."

Roxanne trailed off, mumbling furiously to herself, while Bernard turned to Megamind, still looking incredulous. "So you're going to put your villainous and highly dangerous artifacts into the hands of ordinary and inexperienced citizens like me?" he asked.

"Ummm… yes…?" came Megamind's slightly perplexed reply.

"_AWESOME._"

"_What?_" Roxanne hissed. "_NO! _This is a bad, _bad _idea! People are going to get hurt!"

"Says _who?_" Bernard asked.

"Says _me!_" Roxanne cried out, then suddenly turned to Chloe. "So what about _you_ then? What do you think of all this? _Who are you _even?"

"My name is Chloe Henderson. I'm… I'm actually a big fan of yours."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you and all, but now _please_ help me talk some sense into my deranged boyfriend."

"Megamind… _sir…_" Chloe began,"… Miss Ritchi is right. It is a terrible idea to sell weapons to civilians."

"Weapons that never hurt anybody?" Bernard challenged. "Be honest with yourself, Chloe. Haven't _you _ever wanted to own a piece of Metro City history?"

Chloe did not reply, as it was true. She had felt just as excited as Bernard did when they discovered the yard sale. Oh, how she longed to get her hands on the De- Gun, or the Disguise Generator, or even the robotic battle suit. But, alas, Roxanne was right. A weapon like that in the wrong hands could prove to be a very dangerous thing.

"See?" Megamind asked, addressing Roxanne. "This is a totally harmless idea. I don't know what you're so worried about."

"You wanna have this stupid yard sale?" Roxanne replied. "_Fine. _But I'm leaving. Clean up the upcoming mess yourself. Chloe, Bernard, come on."

Roxanne headed forcefully towards the exit, and Chloe turned to follow. She had to stop, however, because Bernard remained rooted to the spot.

"Bernard, are you coming?" Chloe asked.

"I thought I made myself clear," Bernard replied.

Chloe sighed. "Bernard, you're being unreasonable. Let's just go."

"I am _not_ leaving until I purchase the object of my desire."

"Wait," Roxanne said from behind them. "If you were to get what you wanted _right now, _would you leave before the start of the actual sale?"

"Well, I _suppose _I could."

"_Good. _Megamind, don't you think _now _would be a good opportunity to _pay _Bernard _back _for all the _trouble _you've caused him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Megamind replied shiftily.

"Oh, you know _exactly _what I'm talking about."

"Do I now?"

"You owe him, _big time._"

"Since when?"

"You know."

"I'm afraid I don't."

"Oh, stop playing dumb and just give him what he wants!"

Megamind sighed dramatically. "_Fine,_" he said. "Bernard, you can choose from anything you see in the room."

"Alright, how about… the invisible car?" Bernard suggested.

"Do you _see_ that in the room?" Megamind replied with an impatient sigh.

Bernard looked around, but the car was nowhere in sight. "No," he said, "but isn't that the _point_ of having an invisiblecar?"

"It's not for sale," Megamind snapped, glaring at Bernard through narrowed eyes.

"Alright, fine, what about the Brainbots?"

"Not for sale."

"Hmm, let's see then, how about the… lair?"

"Are you _kidding _me? First you ask for the two things which are _not _for sale, and now you're asking me if I'm selling my entire _home?_"

"Well, Roxanne _did_ say I could have _anything._"

"Anything in this _room, _please," Roxanne specified.

"I see," Bernard said, looking around thoughtfully. "What about… your fish then?"

A dead silence fell upon the room as everyone's eyes turned to Megamind, who looked like he was actually considering this. "Well…" he began, causing Minion to gasp in fear and retreat into the depths of his gorilla suit, "… he still hasn't told me whether he thinks the yard sale is a good idea or not…."

In an instant, Minion had reappeared back in his dome. "I think it's a marvelous idea, sir!" he cried out. "I fully support it and honestly regret ever doubting you!"

Megamind smiled smugly. "Minion is staying," he said.

Minion, Roxanne, and Chloe all breathed a sigh of relief.

"But he's _in the room,_" Bernard protested.

"Listen," Megamind replied. "You're trying my patience. Either choose something _actually_ for sale or pretty soon _you'll _be _out _of the room."

"The only other thing I can think of is that ray gun over there," Bernard said, pointing at a table of similar-looking guns set against the wall.

"This one?" Megamind asked, picking it up. "My old freeze ray? This is the first gun I've ever made, so as you can imagine it doesn't work very well. It only freezes the subject in space for a few minutes or so before he or she is able to move about again. I don't understand why you'd want this piece of junk. It doesn't - I mean _didn't_ - even work on Metro Man!"

"As the first gun you've ever made, this will make a valuable historic contribution to the collection at your museum," Bernard replied.

"Well, if you say so. Go ahead and take it then. It really won't be that much of a loss," Megamind said.

"_Good,_" said Bernard, walking over to the table and grabbing the gun.

"Okay, _now _can we go?' Chloe demanded.

"_Yes,_" Bernard replied with a sigh, and he, Chloe, and Roxanne headed for the door.

"You're totally keeping that gun for yourself, aren't you?" Chloe mumbled to Bernard as they walked.

"Maybe," he answered, making Chloe roll her eyes.

Once they were outside, Roxanne turned to them with a smile.

"Thank you for supporting me, Chloe," she said. "You, too, Bernard… I think."

"No problem, Roxanne!" Chloe replied cheerfully. "Something tells me this won't end well for our hero…."

"Tell me about it. Now, Chloe, you said you were a fan…?"

"Yes, yes, I sure am! I.… It's actually my dream to be a journalist."

"_Really? _That's so exciting! Did you maybe want to grab a cup of coffee and tell me all about it?"

"Well, since it _is _nearly time for my break now, why not?" Chloe said with a grin.

"Bernard…?" Roxanne asked. "You can come along too if you like… I guess."

"You sure?" Bernard asked, a skeptical expression on his face. "You didn't sound too enthusiastic there, Miss Ritchi."

"Roxanne is right, Bernard," Chloe added. "I - er, _we _would very much like you to come along."

"Alright then," Bernard said, trying to avoid Chloe's eyes, "might as well."

Roxanne looked at Bernard, and then at Chloe, smirked to herself, then said, "Well, let's get going. My car is just a couple minutes' walk away."

"Oh, no, my scooter!" Chloe suddenly cried out. "Bernard and I took it to get to No-Longer-Evil Lair, and I can't leave it behind because I'll need it again after work."

"And you work with Bernard, am I right?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"Because Juliet can drop your scooter off at the museum for you."

"Who's Juliet?" Chloe asked, exchanging a glance with Bernard, who looked just as clueless.

"You'll see," Roxanne replied, then put her fingers in her mouth and gave an ear-piercing whistle.

In a couple of seconds, a distant "bowg, bowg" could be heard, and then a pink Brainbot came hurtling through the air towards them. Bernard and Chloe actually had to duck to avoid her furious advance.

"Whoa, whoa!" Roxanne cried out, throwing her hands up in an attempt to calm the raging cyborg. "Down, girl!"

The Brainbot made one final circle around the group, and then threw herself into Roxanne's arms with a purr-like rumbling.

"Good girl," Roxanne said, petting her glass skull and making the currents within it alight to the stimulus. Chloe and Bernard just stared, speechless. "Sorry about that," Roxanne said with a sheepish smile. "I had her guarding my car in my absence, so she's just a little worked up."

"'Just a little…?'" Bernard grumbled under his breath.

"I didn't know you had a Brainbot!" Chloe exclaimed, eyeing the robot curiously.

"Megamind gave her to me about a month ago," Roxanne replied. "He literally has hundreds of thousands of them, and what poor, nameless things they are! Did you know that this one is the _only_ _female?_"

"Wow, that is… tragic," Chloe remarked.

"That's exactly what I told Megamind!" Roxanne exclaimed. "And why do you think I named her Juliet?"

"Well, it seems she likes you very much," Chloe said encouragingly.

"Yes. Just keep your fingers away from her jaws, and I'm sure she'll like you, too. Now, where is your scooter?"

"It's just around the corner," Chloe replied. "I'll show you the way."

Chloe and Bernard led Roxanne to where Chloe's scooter was parked. As soon as it came into their sight, Roxanne fixed it with a scrutinizing stare.

"I used to have one just like that," she said. "I lost it during the madness of the battle with Tighten, though."

"Sorry to hear that," Chloe said sympathetically.

"Oh, I'm not complaining!" Roxanne clarified. "I have something much better now. Now, Juliet, would you be so kind as to drop this young lady's scooter off at daddy's museum, please?"

Juliet gave out a "bowg" of agreement, lovingly rubbed her half-lidded eye against Roxanne's arm, snapped at Bernard and Chloe, and turned her attention to the old yellow scooter. Using her three metal arms, she grabbed onto the handlebars and the seat, effortlessly lifted the scooter into the air, and carried it off in the direction of downtown.

"Shall we?" Roxanne asked, motioning in the opposite direction.

Roxanne was right when she said her brand-new blue Chrysler Sebring was considerably better than the old rusty scooter, and Chloe and Bernard had to agree, too. They arrived at The Cape Café by one, when the lunch rush had more or less subsided, and got themselves a nice booth by the window, overlooking the faraway ocean. Chloe and Bernard sat across from each other with the window to their side, and Roxanne sat beside Chloe. For over an hour, Chloe and Roxanne talked about journalism and their respective paths which brought them where they were today, while Bernard played with and inspected his new weapon. Their coffee date could have lasted much longer, but the server suddenly arrived carrying a mug of rich white mocha. He presented it to Roxanne.

"On behalf of the gentleman at the bar," the server said politely, and walked away.

Roxanne turned around to see a bearded man in a trench coat sitting at the bar behind her. He gave her a friendly smile, and she grinned back at him wickedly.

"Be right back, guys," Roxanne said, turning to Chloe and Bernard momentarily, then she grabbed her mocha and hurried over to talk to the man at the bar.

"I hope you're ready, Chloe," Bernard said out of nowhere, without lifting his eyes from his freeze ray.

Once he didn't clarify, "What?" Chloe asked.

"With Megamind officially the new protector of Metro City… well, let's just say he _is_ no Metro Man."

"I'm sure that," Chloe began with a reassuring smile towards Bernard, "no matter how wild things get, you just need to find somebody to keep you rooted to reality - like a constant. Then, even in the most furious weather, you would be in the eye of the storm."

Chloe and Bernard's eyes met, and, for the first time, there was an understanding between them. "Where Is My Mind" by The Pixies came over the jukebox, and just then there was a bright beam from the sky and an explosion at the edge of the sea. Chloe and Bernard turned their faces towards the window, the afterglow reflecting in their wide-open eyes. Bernard was right, Chloe thought, they needed to be ready, together.


End file.
